Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1887-12-16
STARVING TO DEATH.
Terrible Scenes of Distress
in Northern China.
ELEVEN CITIES SUBMERGED.
Hundreds Of Thousands of People
Homeless and Hung, Yin
calculable Losses.

Associated Press DISPATCHES to the HsRALD.I
SAN Francisco, December 15.-The
steamship City of Sydney arrived this
afternoon from Hong Kong and Yoko-
hama. The Chinese papers give de-
tails of the disaster occasioned by tho
yellow river overlooking it's ban g in
the Province of Honan, and describe
it as one of the most appalling occur
rences in loss of life and property re-
1rded in recent times.
Thomas Patton, one of the. American
missionaries, writing from Honan
Province under date of October 28th,
saws: "The newly-gathered crops.
houses and trees. were all swept away,
INVOLVING fearful loss OF life. The
country was covered with fine winter
grain. which is gone, and. implies
{ ,mplete destruction of next years
crop. The river broke its banks ON
|Septemhe 28th, southwest of the city
of Ching Chow, and not only COM
pletely inundated that city, but also
ten other populous cities. The whole
area
rs NOW A RAGING SEA.
This sea is 10 to 80 feet deep where
it was a d-nsely populated and rich
plain. The former bed of the Yellow
river is now dry and the present lake
was the bed Of the river centuries ago.
The loss of life is incalcul4hle, and
the statement is made by missionaries
that millions of Chinese are homeless
and starving. Bread is the cry ct
thousands who are on the river banks.
The benevolent 20 in boats and throw
bread among the masses here and
there, but 1t is nothing composed
with the requirements. The lnAso 6f
people is still being increased W Con-
tinua arrivals Who are even
MORE HUNGRY THAN THE LAST.
There they sit stunned, hungry and
detected, without a rag to wear ora
imurseI to eat. Mat huts are being
erected for them to the wet Of this,
but what it will be in short time NO
one can telt." sa
The Yellow river has long been
known as "China's Sorrow" and the
present disaster has served to reassert
its right to the terrible title. As yet
the details OF the disaster are very
meagre, for it has occurred in dis
trict where but few foreigners are and
The reports furnished by officials and
published in the Peking Gazette con-
vev q very inadequate idea Of the eK-
tent of loss of LIE and property and
the
sUyFERrNas OF THE SURVIVORS.
The government in Honan reports
to the throne as follows: "Nearly all
of the people have been drowned in
the district reached by the water, the
survivors being those who escaped to
high ground or took refuge in trees,
where they remained till they we're
rescued" This gives but little inn
preston as to the extent of the dis
aster.
The Chinese Times states that in the
province OF Chi Ii, where disastrous
foundations have also occurred, there
are 100000 people homeless, repre-
senting those whose lives were saved
out Of fully us5
Z. 900 VILLAGES DESTROYED aa8l
And adds that the misery in
that province is trlhing compared
with that caused by the yell
w river. The extent of ground
swept over by the over~ helm
ing floods is given in English figures
as over 1000 square miles, and the
land thus submerged formed part OF
one OF the richest and most denseiy
populated places in northern China.
The necessity for liberal aid may
therefore be imagined, and already
considerable sums have been contrib
uted towards the relief OF the sufferers.
The Emperor OF China has given
2 900 900 taels and the chinese have
started Il subscription list in Shanghai,
to which foreigners have
LITERALLY CONTRIBUTED.
Millions have been rendered home
less and entirely deprived of all
means OF earning livelihood, for
their fields will either become per-
manent lake or an uninhabitable
swamp. 1t is feared that the dist ess
which will be felt during the coming
winter will equal in intensity the
famine of ten years ago, when charit-
able donations contributed from all
parts OF the world were utterly made
quate. 1t is stated that owing to the
action taken by the Yellow river it no
longer flows toward the rea, bur seems
intent on converting Eastern Hainan
and Northern Nganwhin into lake.
1t may ultimately flow into the sea
through kianxsin. or il may even poa-